I was home on Christmas break after my first semester at college. It was good to see my parents again. I had missed them while I was away. It was my first day back and I was in the den talking to mom about college life. Dad was at work when I got home so I had a warm welcome from my mother. I had only been home an hour when we heard the phone ring and mom went to answer it. From where I was I couldn't make out what she was saying but she did sound extremely concerned. It was only a couple of minutes later when she came into the den. I could tell from the look on her face that something was wrong.
"Rick, I need you to drive me to Mercy General," mom said. Mercy General was one of the hospitals in town.
I felt a cold chill run through my body. "What is it mom? Is dad okay?"
"Yes, he's fine. That was Mrs. Miller. Penny's been in an accident," she said.
A feeling of dread shot through me. "Oh no, mom. Is she okay."
"I don't know, Rick. Mrs. Miller is quite upset and I need to get there to be with her."
Nodding I jumped up and ran to my room and grabbed my car keys. We rushed out and quickly piled into the car. I took off rather fast causing mom to ask me to slow down. She said it wouldn't do any good if we had an accident too. I dropped back to the speed limit. I felt my knees shaking as I drove and my mind thought about Penny, the blonde haired girl with the big blue eyes.
The Millers had moved into the house across the street when I was seven. My mother took a plate of her home made brownies to them as a welcome to the neighborhood gift. Mom and Mrs. Miller became good friends immediately. They had a lot in common, same age, both had grown up in small towns, both were stay at home mothers and wives. One difference was that Mrs. Miller had given birth to a daughter, Penny. I was born six days before Penny.
I can remember watching out the front window as they moved in. The first time I saw her was the day a moving van pulled up in front of their house. It was followed by a car that parked nearby and three people got out. It was obvious that it was a married couple with a young daughter about my age. The daughter had her blonde hair braided into two pigtails that hung down on either side of her head. She looked kind of cute but I really couldn't tell from that distance.
The first time I saw her up close was two days later when one of the secretaries from the front office brought her into the classroom I was sitting in. She introduced Penny to the teacher who in turned introduced her to the class as a new student who would be joining our grade. It was easy to see that Penny looked nervous as she apprehensively looked around the room. Even as a second grader I could see how coming into a new school in the middle of the year could be a little scary. Our teacher led Penny over to the empty desk which was next to mine and she gave me a timid smile as she sat down.
The first time I actually spoke to her was at lunch in the cafeteria. By this point in the school year everyone had already formed friendships and would sit in their own little groups while they ate. As was typical with second graders we sat at tables that were either all boys or all girls. Our teacher had asked Penny to stay and talk to her for a few minutes after the lunch bell rang so she was the last one in line to get her food.
I was sitting where I could see her as she went along the counters. George was regaling us with another one of his stories about his escapades. I wasn't really listening as I watched Penny holding her tray looking around the cafeteria uncertainly. None of the girls made an effort to ask her to sit with them so she walked to the back and sat alone at an empty table. Despite knowing that I would probably be teased by my friends later I picked up my tray and walked back and sat down across from her. She looked up surprised and again gave me a shy smile.
"Hi, I'm Ricky," I said.
"Hello Ricky. My name's Penny," she replied. Of course I already knew her name from when the teacher introduced her to the class.
"You live on Maple Street, right?" I asked.
She again gave me a surprised look. "Yes, I do. How did you know that?"
I gave her a grin. "I live across the street from you and I saw you and your mom and dad when you moved in." That was the start of our bond. She told me that her daddy had gotten a new job and they had moved here from a town about two hours away. She was sad that she had left behind all her friends. I walked with her back to class when the bell rang but we didn't have any chance to talk the rest of the day. When school let out she told me that her mom was picking her up. Parents that picked up their kids parked in front of the school and those of us who rode the bus went to the back where the buses parked.
When I got home that afternoon my mouth began to water as soon as I walked in the door. I could smell the aroma of fresh baked brownies. I ran into the kitchen hoping for an afternoon snack. Mom laughed when she saw me and nodded at a plate of cooling squares of deliciousness on the counter. As I grabbed one and bit into it I noticed that she had a second plate that she was wrapping in tin foil. She told me that she was going to take it over to our new neighbors across the street to welcome them to the neighborhood. She was pleased when I asked if I could go with her.
Mom rang the doorbell and a few seconds later Mrs. Miller opened the door. I saw Penny standing slightly behind her mother and she gave me a smile. Our mothers introduced themselves and talked for a couple of minutes before mom introduced me to Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller in turn introduce her daughter Penny who told our moms that we were in the same class. Mom handed Mrs. Miller the plate of brownies and she lifted the foil and thanked my mother for the welcoming gift. She then offered one each to Penny and me. Yummy, another brownie.
When we were leaving to go back to our house I told Mrs. Miller if Penny wanted to ride the bus I would make sure she got to the right place. She asked her daughter if she would like to ride the bus and Penny nodded her head. The next morning I knocked on their door and walked Penny to the bus stop and sat with her on the ride to school. I sat with her at lunch again that day even though I was ribbed by several of my friends about sitting with a girl. At the end of the day we again rode the bus and I walked her home after we got off. That was the start of a daily routine for us.
From that time we were almost inseparable. In the afternoons and on weekends we would play together. We both had swing sets in our back yards that we spent hours on. If the weather didn't allow us to go outside we would play games indoors.
When we reached high school we still stayed together all the time. We would go out together with a group of friends even though we weren't dating. It wasn't that I didn't want to date Penny because I did. I had always had a crush on her and the older we got the stronger my feelings grew. The problem was I didn't think she thought of me as anything other than a friend who lived across the street.
Our relationship stayed like this until the first week of our final year of high school. Neither of us dated anyone. I didn't know her reason but for me she was the only girl that I wanted to be with. That was when Penny's father had a massive stroke and passed away. It was at after his funeral that things changed. The friends of the Millers had gathered at their house bringing food and paying their condolences. Penny was sitting in a chair in the corner crying and it broke my heart. I went over and put my arm around her shoulders but she shoved me back.
"Go away. Your father is still alive. Stay away from me," she hissed.
I stumbled back totally stunned. I stared at her as she put her face back into her hands and sobbed. I didn't know what to do. I hung my head and walked out the front door and over to my house. I went to my room and fell on my bed and cried. I cried for Penny and her loss. Her father had meant the world to her and I knew how hard this was on her. As far as what she had said to me, I just hoped that she didn't mean it and was just hurting.
